


The Hellbeast of Hometown

by DeterminationIsNotCrash



Category: Deltarune (Video Game), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gaster Blaster (Undertale), Gen, Suspense, for purposes of drama monsters leave bodies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-24 09:40:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17098187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeterminationIsNotCrash/pseuds/DeterminationIsNotCrash
Summary: All Kris wanted to do was relieve some stress by playing Undertale's Genocide route.Was it really a sin to kill characters in a videogame? Did it really warrant people around him in real life dying in gruesome ways?Regardless of whether this retribution was justified, the student had no choice other than to accept it was happening.





	The Hellbeast of Hometown

_SLASH!_ Kris had long since lost count of how many times an endless series of nines filled the screen. The teen turned off the desktop, feeling empty inside. The bluish light that illuminated the room faded, leaving only the faint glow of the stickers on his brother’s wall.

His parents had finally decided to make it official – they were getting divorced. Toriel and Asgore had been living separately for ages, but now they were going to leave each other forever – the documentation had been filled in, leaving Asgore with nothing. The golden-haired man had no choice but to leave Hometown, in search of the one in a billion chance that he could find a better opportunity elsewhere.

Kris, the powerless fifteen-year-old he was, could do nothing but despair over his mother’s decision. Filled with frustration and nothing to let it out on without consequences, he turned to videogames – specifically, an enigmatic program called _Undertale_ that he found on his brother’s computer.

He wasn’t sure what its origin was – he searched and searched online, but not a single piece of information about it existed. Perhaps it was a project that Asriel was making…?

At any rate, he found it oddly charming, seeing the people he knew in fantastical roles. Kris’ first playthrough was as a Pacifist, sparing the characters, solving their problems, and in the end, freeing them their Underground prison. That was then. Now, he just wanted to see everyone _go away_.

He kept doing the game’s worst ending route over and over, finding a sick satisfaction in destroying effigies of the people he knew. He didn’t care that the characters told him to stop. He didn’t care that the disgusting pretentious brat with his name found fault with what he was doing.

He kept killing the characters over, and over, and over. “Die. Die. Die.” The several runs all turned into a blur, the minor details blending together into a giant smudge of emptiness and hate.

Despite his world ending, life kept going on the same as usual, as if to taunt him. The same town, the same places, the same faces… Everyone was still nauseatingly _happy_. They didn’t even care about Asgore!

As much as it broke his heart, Kris helped his dad with the packing, getting everything sorted out. That was _one_ thing he could affect, at least.

Then, finally, came the day he planned to leave…

* * *

_Knock, knock…_ “Dad?”

He at least wanted to see Asgore off. Kris had gathered the money he saved up, and was planning to give it to his dad as a farewell gift. It wasn’t much – Toriel stopped the gravy train last year to try and encourage him to get a part-time job, so all he had were birthday gifts and handouts from when he busked with Ralsei. But it was all he could do.

There was no response. The truck was still parked next to the building, so he couldn’t have already left… “I’m coming in.”

But a gruesome sight lay inside. When Kris saw what lay in the shadows of the room, he sprayed his gastric contents all over the floor.

“W-what… the fuck…!?” No. No, no, no, NO, **_NO_**! “D-Dad… DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!”

It was like a grotesque cross-section. Asgore lay dead in the floor, sliced straight down the middle, his organs on display for the world to see.

* * *

Despite the mood being anything but, the weather was wonderful. A sunny day, a cool breeze running through the area, birds chirping… Perfect for a game of catch, as Asgore would have said.

Two coffins were lowered into the Earth. The large goat man wasn’t the only victim. Mere hours after Kris’ discovery of his father’s corpse, Asriel had also been found dead.

In his dorm room, he had been bludgeoned to death, and beyond. Naturally, the funeral was closed casket.

Everyone attended the funeral, mostly because of Asriel. School was even called off for the day – all of Kris’ classmates attended. Everyone in Kris’ year (with the exception of Ralsei the transfer student, who showed up anyway out of respect) saw Asriel as an older brother figure, so losing him felt like the town collectively lost a family member.

“…thus concludes the life of Asriel Dreemurr. We will never forget the life he lived, short, yet filled with love. May he rest peacefully, in God’s arms now.” Toriel closed her notebook and stepped down from the podium. She walked a few steps, body trembling… before throwing herself on Asriel’s coffin, tears flowing freely as she wailed. It took a lot to make the religious teacher lose her composure, but when she did…

Ralsei and Noelle moved to her side, trying to comfort her. But Kris… all he felt was a sick twisting feeling of disgust starting to well up. _That’s it…? You give a speech for Asriel, but you don’t even acknowledge your own husband!? Disgusting woman._

* * *

_The next day…_

Kris sat alone in the cafeteria, munching on his bland stale egg sandwich. His four friends sat in their usual spot right underneath the aircon, but the teen didn’t feel up to talking now.

Despite the shocking events that had occurred only a day ago, everything felt the same – everyone else seemed to recover within a day.

That just made Kris feel even more disgusted. _He_ was the one who had lost the most here!

Ralsei and the others whispered amongst themselves, the human teen barely able to make out a few words.

“…I’m concerned…”

“…what if he…”

“…don’t want Miss Toriel to lose another…”

A tap on his shoulder caught Kris’ attention. “Hey, clow- I mean… Kris. Mind if I sit here?”

“…Even if I said ‘no’, you’d do it anyway.”

“So… yes.” The younger student sat down at the table, sipping from the same brand of liquid breakfast he always drank for one of his three main meals. “I’m sorry… about what happened to Asriel.”

“…”

“Uh…”

“…” The tension was so thick, Lancer felt like he was going to choke. He had to do something to lighten the mood!

“…that egg sandwich, looks, uh… stale. That all you have to eat today?”

Kris tightened his grip on the bread, nails digging in.

The transfer student gulped. _Yikes. Not good._ He fished through his jacket and produced a bag of dirt and worm cookies. “I made some bikkies with Susie, and I can share! Way better for lunch than some disgusting ol’ egg-” Lancer couldn’t get out any more before a fist slammed into his face.

“Kris!?” Noelle sprung to her feet, hands over her mouth.

“That egg was the last thing Dad had!”

Lancer slammed into the wall, blood dripping from his nose. Kris grabbed him by the shirt and drew his other fist back again.

But before he could do any more harm, a purple blur tackled him to the ground. “What the hell is wrong with you!?” Susie growled.

Ralsei sprinted to Lancer and cast a healing spell. “That’s no way to treat your underclassman!”

Kris said nothing, only weakly moaning as tears streamed down his face.

Noelle whispered to Susie, keeping her voice low so that no one else could hear. “I’ll keep the police on speed-dial in case he brings a weapon to school.”

* * *

The murders weren’t over. The next victim of this mysterious serial killer was Sans.

He was found dead in the forest outside Hometown, a giant slash on his chest. The short skeleton’s case was odd – he wasn’t mutilated as badly as the goats were, but something strange had happened to his body.

Sans’ face had pushed out into short fang-filled muzzle. Sharp, knife-like claws were present on his hands and paw-like feet, and a bladed tail extended from his pelvis.

The trees were covered in slash marks, and dried blood covered the grass – clearly signs of a struggle.

Kris looked down at the mutated body in the casket. _Sans… I didn’t know you that well, but you went down swinging. And I respect that._

* * *

_Undertale_ was abandoned. Kris didn’t want to touch his brother’s computer, preferring to leave his belongings undefiled.

With the string of murders, Kris found something oddly unsettling… but what? Asriel, bashed to death. Asgore, bisected. And Sans slashed through…

_KABOOM!_ “Now what!?” Kris rushed outside, panic spiking. The air was filled with the sound of screams and sirens. He followed the noises to their source. The sight made the ominous feeling approaching Kris creep even closer… The house of Napstablook’s cousin was nothing more than a smoking crater.

* * *

“What’s the big idea!?”

The familiar voice made Kris turn his head. Noelle? What was going on? Who were those tough, military-looking people she was talking to, and why were they armed?

“We’re sorry, but we can’t let you through. We’ve received strict instructions to quarantine Hometown.”

“I just want to get my dad a videogame in the next town over! I promise, nothing sinister. You can even come with me, if it satisfies you.”

The two soldiers remained unmoved, blocking the town’s exit.

Noelle continued to push. “Please! He doesn’t have much time left-”

_KA-CHK_

The schoolgirl instantly raised her hands, backing away from the guns. Those people were serious…

“It wasn’t just the four cases of monsters from Hometown, dozens of monsters around the country have been found dead. The cases started here, therefore we suspect the murderer may be here… this means until the culprit is found, no one can leave this town. Please understand that this is for your own safety.”

“But… why have the military been called? What about the police!?”

Almost as if on cue, a wail of pain pierced the air.

Kris and Noelle ran to the police office as fast as they could. When they arrived, the only thing left of Undyne was a puddle of blue melted flesh and fabric.

The girl’s lip trembled. “How horrible…! Someone used acid! How could anyone do such a thing!? What would motivate them to…!?”

Meanwhile, the gears were starting to turn in Kris’ head. Asriel, Asgore, Sans, Napstablook’s cousin, Undyne… it wasn’t just the method, but the order, too!

That was reverse order of their deaths in _Undertale_! If Kris’ suspicions were true, then… there were two more victims to go!

* * *

Papyrus bounced on an old couch someone left behind, while Toriel lay down on an inflatable mattress, resting her eyes. “I am not certain as to the logic behind your conclusion… but I trust you, my child.”

Kris flashed a rare half-smile. “Thanks, Mum.”

The targets remaining were Papyrus and Toriel, so Kris decided to gather his friends and take the two to a bunker at the edge of town. He heard it was around for several wars, managing to withstand several bomb blasts – right now, nowhere was safer.

Kris locked them all in from inside, but just in case the killer had some sort of way to bypass that, the teens armed themselves with the makeshift weapons they could scrounge together. For Kris, a metal baseball bat. For Ralsei, a sharp stick. For Noelle, her father’s shotgun. For Susie, a frying pan that packed a surprising punch. And for Lancer, a prop sword from an old cosplay… that also happened to double as an actual sword.

“Don’t worry, Toriel- _sensei_ , Papyrus- _senpai_! We’ll keep you safe!”

“Shouldn’t have let him hang around Miss Alphys…” Susie muttered under her breath.

The conditions of the underground bunker were surprisingly cushy – whoever made it left enough canned food to last them at least month… but what if the killer wasn’t caught after that? What if, just like in the game, the killer was relentless and would stop at nothing until everything was gone?

Kris clenched his teeth. “Damn it… is it really a sin for just blowing off some steam on a _videogame_?”

“Eh? What videogame, Kris?” Ralsei tilted his head.

“Crap, I said that out loud!?”

“Yep, you did.” Susie confirmed. “Feel like explaining? Sounds kinda relevant.”

“Well…”

The teen felt like a rusty nail was being pounded into his heart, wincing with each word he said. He expected the others to scorn him, to bash him up and then spit on him for what he did… but when he finished explaining, Ralsei’s face lit up. Figuratively speaking, anyway. His magic hat kept his fur and features as dark as soot.

“Maybe if we start a new game, we can fix it!”

Kris felt a ray of hope pierce the clouds of despair that hung above his head. It was a childish, simple solution… but it just might work.

The mysterious program was a videogame that somehow created consequences in reality. Therefore, the same logic that applied to normal games would work there, right!? He could just restart and try for a better ending!

Taking the key, Kris opened the heavy doors with a creak. The streets were completely empty… Like a ghost town. The only things that remained were the foreboding military vehicles blocking the way out of town, like trapping mice in a cage.

Kris, Ralsei, Susie, and Noelle were going to make a mad dash to Kris’ house, make the changes, then dash back to the bunker before the killer could try anything. The group were one step out of the door before Susie called out. “Wait!”

“?”

The purple lizard girl walked up to Noelle. A blush spread across the reindeer’s cheeks. Was she going to…? “Y-yes, Susie?”

“You and Lancer should trade weapons. He’s being left alone with the killer’s targets, so he needs something stronger.”

“O-oh… sure.”

Susie turned to her underclassman with a grin. “You know what to do! If anyone or anything busts in…”

“…blow their brains out all over the wall! And shoot ‘em thrice, just to be sure!” Lancer finished the sentence enthusiastically, causing Ralsei to do a spit take.

_What HAVE you been teaching this boy, Susie!?_

The group of four sprinted to Kris’ house, tensions high. They burst through the door, into the lonely living room. None of the teens could stop themselves from shaking – in a situation like this, every shadow looked like something could be hiding in it.

The others stood guard over Kris, watching his back as he booted up Asriel’s desktop. It felt like the computer started up agonisingly slower than usual, minutes dragging into eternities. But finally, it finished. The executable file with the red heart logo was still there.

The teen double-clicked on the program, eager to correct his mistakes. But when the program booted up, the regular start screen and menu didn’t show. The only thing on the screen was an unmoving image. A bunch of pixels representing a mangled corpse lay in Snowdin, as if mauled by a beast.

Kris mashed several buttons on the keyboard, turned the program off and on, but nothing happened. Fear, panic, and guilt started to churn within him… then like a sudden volcanic disaster, anger erupted.

“Shit, SHIT, SHIT!” Wailing in despair and rage, Kris brought the baseball bat down on the device. _SMASH! SMASH! SMAAAAAASH!_ He lifted it up again, but a pair of fluffy arms grabbed his.

“It’s alright, Kris… you did your best. Let’s focus on who we can save now, okay?”

The four sprinted back to the bunker, grim resolution set in their hearts… But when they reached it, it had been torn apart.

“No… but how!?” Toriel had been slashed through – her wound matched Asgore’s exactly. Meanwhile, Papyrus had been decapitated. He looked peaceful – he could be mistaken for sleeping if his head was still connected to his body.

Susie rushed forward. “Lancer… what about Lancer!?”

The other three followed, desperately searching the rooms of the bunker. Kris threw open a cupboard, but staggered back, unable to believe his eyes. He reclaimed his wits and tried to close it, not wanting to expose his friends to the horror, but it was too late. 

Ralsei shrieked, covering his eyes with his long ears!

“What!? What did you find!?” The lizard and reindeer girls were almost instantly at their side. When Susie saw the sight, she let out a bloodcurdling roar!

Lancer had been dismembered. His head, stuffed in the cupboard. An arm, hanging from the ceiling … his torso, pinned to the bathroom wall…

The purple haired student saw red. If Kris’ earlier frustration was a small volcano, Susie’s rage was enough to explode a planet. **_“AAAAAARGH! I’LL KILL THEM! I’LL KILL THE PIECE OF SHIT WHO DID THIS! I’LL CUT THEM OPEN AND RIP THEIR GUTS OUT!”_**

Ralsei tried to stand in the girl’s way, but it was futile. “Susie, wait! Please don’t let your emotions get the better of you!”

“And be an emotionless, unfeeling husk!? Get fuckin’ real!” She shoved Ralsei aside and sprinted out of the bunker, snatching Noelle’s sword out of her hands. The murderer couldn’t have gone far!

“Susie!” The deer quickly disappeared after her.

“Wait! You _idiots_ …!” Kris and Ralsei pursued. Neither of them was as athletic as the other two, so when they left the building, the girls had already disappeared from view.

The boys followed the footprints, hearing the clang of weapons clashing. As they neared the source, the metallic sounds stopped. The wet tear of flesh pierced the area, followed by a few crunches.

“D-did Susie get them!?”

This time, Ralsei was the first one to witness the horror. Susie and Noelle were lying there… most of them, anyway.

Their faces were missing. The killer had ripped them right off…

* * *

The world was an unfair place. The entire town had been slaughtered under quarantine. Kris and Ralsei were the only survivors, so naturally, they were condemned by the world and given life sentences. The only solace was that they were given the same cell.

Kris stared at the night sky outside the cell window, his eyes glazed over. Of course, Ralsei let him have top bunk.

The goat boy climbed onto the bed. “It’s not your fault. I don’t blame you for this.”

“…Does it matter?”

“Of course. The arc words in one of my favourite novels is, ‘Don’t ignore the heart.’ All you did was play what you thought was a game. Nothing more than that. Associating ‘destroying’ bunches of 0s and 1s with destroying real living, breathing people… that would be silly. I think you were _brave_ to confess to me that you might have somehow caused the murders.”

“…Thank you.”

The two shared an embrace. For what felt like the first time in ages, warmth welled up in Kris’ heart.

* * *

“Wake up. You’ve both got a visitor.”

Kris raised an eyebrow. Who on Earth would want to visit them? Was there even anyone left?

The two former students reached the visiting room, revealing the skeletal face of a grinning Papyrus. He was alive! Kris didn’t know his upperclassman that well, but the fact that _anyone_ from Hometown survived was a huge blessing.

Kris ran up to the older boy and hugged him. All his feelings rushed out in a semi-coherent babble. What he did, how much he missed everyone, how awful he felt… the skeleton listened, gently smiling.

He patiently waited for Kris to finish, before giving his reply. “I know… I know how it feels. Like you’re being toyed with by someone above you, slowly losing everything. You put all your faith and effort into one last attempt to reach out, but are stomped on and crushed beneath a cruel boot… I know all too well.”

Instantly, all of Kris’ hairs stood on end. _It couldn’t be…! ‘This’ Papyrus is…!_ He tried to pull away, but it was too late. The now-horned skeleton’s arms closed around him in a tight, inescapable grip. _That explains why the corpse wasn’t bleeding… the Papyrus of my world died ages ago! All this Papyrus had to do was hide the body, then bring it to the bunker to fake his death!_

“Kris!” Ralsei and the security guards charged at the skeleton, but a strange blur ripped through the air in a circular motion. _A… tail…?_ The impossibly sharp blade sliced them all in half, painting the walls with red.

Papyrus’ fanged smirk pushed out as his muzzle fully extended, his frame bulking up. The tight grip around Kris became painful as spikes and claws formed. In a guttural, demonic voice, the hellbeast chuckled. **_“Your friends died excruciating deaths… However, I won’t be so merciful with you.”_**


End file.
